The Matchmaker
by Inu-Ranma
Summary: Ranma/Futaba crossover. Futaba comes in after Konatsu cannon but before Nodoka finds out.
1. The Matchmaker: Chapter 1

The Matchmaker, Chapter 1  
  
I don't know when it finally hit me...I was living in a school full of maniacs. I can't for the life of me see why I never noticed before, but I sure as hell do now. I'm Futaba Shimeru, Furinkan High School's `Star of Wrestling' and a member of Freshman class A. I've been studying Wrestling and various grappling techniques for my entire life, and it's been normal. My Mother has worked for the government. My Father has stayed home, and my sister, well, Futana's Futana.   
Anyway, everything had been relatively calm until the start of this year, when I finally learned why my family was so weird.  
  
It started right smack on the first day of my second semester at Furinkan high. I managed to get to school as I normally did-Vaulting the side wall in order to avoid the brawls that went on out front-but this time I managed to get run over by a girl with fiery red hair and a pigtail just as I landed.  
"Gomen ne!" The girl gave me a glance to make sure I was okay then ran off, not even offering me a hand to help me up.  
  
"Pigtailed goddess!" Just as I was standing up, the School's Kendo Captain, one Tatewaki Kuno, charged straight into me and began propelling me directly along the trail of the redheaded girl. Not wanting to get caught up in this, I did what any sensible wrestler would do.  
I chokeslammed him.  
  
When Kuno came to, I was long gone.  
  
As I wandered in the direction of my classroom I wondered who that pig-tailed girl was. There was so much going on at Furinkan that I didn't pay attention to. I wasn't exactly popular. I was too busy with dealing with schoolwork to really care. Wrestling was more fun than these weirdos anyway.  
  
As slight poke on my shoulder jolted me from my reverie. I turned my head to see a tall guy with jet-black hair, sporting a pigtail similar to the one that the redhead had.  
  
"That was a nice move, man! Thanks for the save!" The pigtailed guy ran off to a classroom across the hallway from mine. Class D. So he was a a freshman as well.  
  
I walked into my classroom and managed to get seated just as the bell rang.  
  
"Oi, Futaba!" Hiroshi, a tall, lanky guy who had transferred from Class D to my class at the start of the semester, grabbed me on the shoulder. "Nice job taking Kuno out today! You sure saved Ranma some trouble."  
  
"Who's Ranma?" I was dumbfounded-I hadn't done anybody a favor recently.  
  
"He's the one who you saved from Kuno today.  
  
I shook my head and went back to my classwork. "Whatever, Hiroshi."  
  
Not more than five minutes later, he tugged on my shoulder again. "Yo...check these out."  
  
He tossed five pictures onto my desk that were of the redheaded girl, nearly nude, washing her hair.  
  
"What the hell are you doing, Hiroshi? I could get in trou-"  
  
"Shimeru Futaba!" A well-aimed eraser nailed me in the back of the head. "Go stand in the hall!" The teacher was repressing a smirk, I could tell by his voice. "And take your pictures with you."  
  
"But Sensei! They're not..."  
  
"Go, Shimeru!"  
  
I quickly gathered up the photos and stood in the hall.  
  
It was distressingly silent in the pristine, immaculate halls of Furinkan high, so I got bored quickly. Having nothing better to do, I began to look at the photos.  
  
Hey. I was only human.  
  
As I began to look at the photos over and over again...I began to get hot, and I began to feel sick. I began to turn towards the door of the classroom to ask my teacher if I could go to the nurse's office, but that's when the blackness came.  
  
***  
  
"Where did you find her?" A clinical voice, borne across the void of silence by my aching head, beseeched the rest of the emptiness.  
  
"She was just lying there in the hall, carrying pictures of Ranma." This voice was male, deep, and not sounding anything but full of himself. "I can't see why, for the life of me."  
  
"She's a looker, ain't she. `Dis Keiki gonna be on `da schools best teams once we reach her parents. Why `dun I see before, tho'?" The principal's obviously fake Hawaiian accent was far from being music to my ears. I had the luck of only having met the principal a few times since coming to Furinkan. I thanked my stars that they were concentrating on some girl, not me, and opened my eyes one by one to let in the light.  
  
"Look. She's coming to! Let's ask her!" I opened my eyes in the direction of that voice, the clinical one to see the school's nurse staring directly at me. "Are you okay, dear? It looks like you overheated and fell down in one of our hallways. Can I get you anything? A glass of water, perhaps?"  
  
"I'm fine. What about the girl in the other bed?" My voice felt odd, but I made nothing of it. After all, the nurse said I had just passed out.  
  
"Der's no bed but dis one in da nurse's office, keiki. Who are ya?" I turned to my right to see the principal, adorned in hawaiian shirt and shorts as usual, and a boy with long hair, glasses, and a voluminous Chinese robe looking down on me.  
  
"Then who were you talking about?" This was getting confusing, and my headache was getting worse.  
  
Just as the principal was about to speak again, a tall, muscular boy with green hair barged into the room. "Gomen ne, sensei! My sister isn't used to public places. Gomen ne! I'll take her home now!" Bowing all the while, the boy picked me up like I was a doll, forcing me to wrap my arms around his neck, and walked out the door of the nurse's office, still bowing.  
  
About this time i noticed that A: I was only wearing a hospital gown, B: My hands felt much softer and smaller than usual, and C: having my chest pressed up to another guy was uncomfortable, but not entirely so.  
  
"Please explain what...doing?" I found it hard to get any breath out.  
  
"You picked a hell of a time to grow up, cutie! Lucky Dad's had tabs on you since you hit puberty."  
  
"What are you talking bout?"  
  
The boy stopped, then took a sharp turn into a girls' bathroom. After one glance from him, all the girls who were in there giggled and ran out as he set me down on my feet in front of the mirror.  
  
I wobbled a bit, and then regained my balance to come face-to-face with a beautiful girl, same green hair as the boy who stood behind me, grinning like a maniac, and a body that could win wars.  
  
"This is some joke, right?" I was getting more confused by the moment.  
  
"No Joke, Futaba-chan! Meet the new you!" As the boy made a grand gesture of introduction behind me, looking in the mirror, darkness chose to claim me again.  
  
***  
  
When I regained my consciousness for the second time that day, I was in my bed, and the slight pitter-patter of raindrops tickled my ears, reminding me that the world couldn't really be that upside down..  
I quickly took a peek under the covers to discover that I was stark naked, and that I was male. It must have been a dream. I looked at my clock, expecting to see it being just about to chime 7AM, but instead saw that it was closer to 7PM.   
  
I sat up and looked to my door to see my sister, Futana, leaning against the doorjamb.  
  
"Rise and Shine, beautiful!" My sister casually walked up to me and gave me a squeeze. "Ready for dinner?"  
  
Something was up. Futana was being entirely too nice.  
  
"What's the deal, Futana? You're being entirely too nice." It usually paid to be blunt with my sister, as being anything else tended to get one groped.  
  
Futana made a moue. "I'm just happy to see that my widdle brother has finally grown up! Can't I be happy for you, Futaba-chan?"  
  
"Just leave me alone, Futana." I gave my sister a stern look, letting her know that I wanted some privacy to get dressed now.  
  
As I walked downstairs I smelled something odd...was Mom cooking red beans with rice?  
  
"What's with the special dinner?" I tried to act casual as I walked into my family's spacious living-room.  
  
"I heard you achieved your heritage today, Futaba. Congratulations!" My father was obviously hiding his true elation at whatever had happened.  
  
"I don't know what you're talking about, Dad." I had a sinking feeling-was all of what had just happened a dream?  
  
My dad made doe eyes at me and grinned. "Oh, but I think you do, Futaba! It's nothing to hide. It happens to your sister and I too!" With that he flipped out a small photo and showed it to me. It was a photo of the redhead, this time completely nude.  
  
"Your sister found these in your pockets when she picked you up. These pictures must have been what activated the change. I'll have to have them framed!"  
  
"Da-ad! Where did you get th-" I lost my breath as I got a good look at the picture. The redhead wasn't just cute. She was gorgeous!..."  
  
POP!  
  
I suddenly felt distinctly odd.  
  
My father let out an ecstatic laugh.  
  
"So it is true, Futaba! We'll have to organize things with the principal right away!" He held up a mirror to show me the green-haired girl from my dream. I was the green haired girl!  
  
"She's so cute!" Futana walked up to me and gave me a slightly less chaste hug then before.  
  
"I can't believe this!" This couldn't have been true. I was a normal guy! I had friends, looked at soft porn, and avoided martial artists! Why was this happening to me? I was getting truly angry now, and there was nobody who could stop it.  
  
"Calm down, Futaba-chan," dad tried to sooth me, but to no avail. "You need to calm down or things will get awkward."  
  
"Why should I calm down!? Why didn't you tell me about this before?" I picked up a jacket and cap and ran outside, slamming the door on the way. The last thing I wanted was to be subject to Futana's teasing. I needed to be somewhere alone. Maybe the rain would cool my temper.  
  
***  
  
As I walked through the streets of Nerima I eventually came to unfamiliar territory, a park that I had never been to.  
  
Not having much else to do, with the rain doing its level best to soak me to the bone, I came to the park restroom and immediately came upon a quandary. There were two sides to this. I could turn right and enter the men's room, ignoring my physical form, or I could take the left fork to the women's restroom. I was in uncharted territory.  
  
I couldn't see any other way. I was female at the time, so I went into the left doorway, which became a foundation for what is one of the most interesting evenings I've ever had.  
  
When I entered the restroom, not knowing what to expect, I encountered something unusually....usual. It was mostly the same as the Men's room, minus the stand-up urinals and with a little bit of sill added under the mirror. I slowly took off my jacket and T-shirt, examining the body that was surely my own, as odd as it seemed at the time. Not knowing anything better to do, I knotted the bottom of the shirt, confining my....my breasts uncomfortably, but making me look otherwise quite boyish. I gathered my Jacket tightly about me and stuffed as much of my hair as possible into the cap before going out into the world once again, looking somewhat like a boy, albeit a bishounen, but looking like a boy who was not me. I hadn't been able to consider that the girl in the mirror was me, and not just some insane curse.   
  
When the rain once again began to assail me I noticed that it did not seem as bad as before now that I was bundled up. Maybe I would be able to sort out my chaotic thoughts. With this optimism in my mind, I began to wander the streets once again in search of inner Nerima and a way back home to sort out what exactly was going to happen.  
  
Suddenly, a scream interrupted my thoughts.  
  
"Why do you always have to do that, you stupid macho tomboy!? I was just trying to keep the pig from-"  
  
"He's just an animal, Ranma! It's just like you to be jealous of a little pig!"  
  
"That's it! I'm outta here! I don't have to take this shi-" I heard the sound of knuckle hitting flesh, and a body landed on top of me. I barely managed to drop to my knees to absorb the weight of the fall, and was surprised to find that the red-headed girl from earlier that day had fallen quite literally into my lap.  
  
"Are you okay?" I asked, trying to artificially deepen my voice so that I still looked male. The redhead could only manage a slight moan that sounded something like 'tomboy.'  
  
Not knowing what else to do, I began to search for shelter from the rain, for the girl must have had some kind of concussion and being in this cold, though it didn't bother me all that much, surely was a strain on her.  
  
Eventually, I came to a bridge near a river that looked as if it had a slight enclosure under it that could fit the two of us, albeit cozily. Seeing no better place, I quickly carried her in and made sure that she was out of the now-pouring rain.  
  
The minute I myself leaned back against the hard-cement 'wall' of the enclosure, which felt more like a cave at that time, I was asleep. My emotional exhaustion from that day had finally overtaken me.  
  
***  
  
I woke up to the sound of my alarm and immediately hopped out of bed, slamming the button on the small-raucous buzzer that notified me of the fact that it was time for school. I threw my uniform on and ran out the door, not giving my dad more than a nod, and charged all the way to Furinkan without getting breakfast. Just as I was about to make it through the gate the principal appeared in front of me.  
  
"Oh! Dis' a kawaii Keiki! Will'ye bein' goin' out with da ol' principal now?" I didn't have time to stop, as the bell was about to ring so I quickly dodged to the side and dashed the rest of the way to my room without further exchange.  
  
The teacher took role as normal, but then stared me directly down past his glasses when I answered.  
  
"Is this some type of joke, miss? Because I do not find it funny. Please report to your classroom now." By now all eyes were upon me. That's when I realized that I wasn't me. I was the green haired girl, and I did not like the look in those boys' eyes. Gradually, one by one, they each got out of their chairs and came towards me, hunger in there eyes, all except one, who turned away from me, showing only the back of his head, sporting a pig-tail. Eventually, my view was blacked out by the rest of the boys, lustful and grinning with the act they were about to commit.  
  
***  
  
I awoke screaming in an unfamiliar bed. It was not my home and it smelled decidedly of pancakes. Not entirely unpleasant, really. As surveyed the room in which I sat, which was not much larger than my room, though the bed was nearly double the size of my own, a pretty girl knocked softly on the mostly-ajar door.  
  
"You gave us a fright there, sugar. Ran-chan didn't know what to think of you and he wasn't about to bring you back to the Tendo place, what with Akane and all, so he brought ya to Konatsu and me." She softly shut the door behind her and walked towards me purposefully. Once she was within range she tore off my cap and grinned triumphantly. "I knew it! You're a girl!" She must have seen my chagrin at her realization, as she immediately sobered up. "I'm sorry, hun. Believe it or not I know how you feel. Ranchan thought you were unusually light but he's to shy to check, and I wasn't about to let Konatsu near you. I love him but he's a lecher if I let him be," she said as she winked slyly.   
  
I snatched my cap back from her, not ready to give her trust, and gave her as icy of a glare as I could manage as I tucked my hair back under the cap. "Where am I and who are you? Where's that girl that fell on me?" The girl seemed to be making some mental connections of her own as I said that. "That girl....oh...She's downstairs. I think we have some explaining to do but first you two should talk. I'm going to call her up here, if that's okay, because you're not in any condition to be moving around. You've got a nasty fever." I tried to sit up and realized that she was right. I had no strength left.  
  
As she walked for the door she made one final glance back at me and said "By the way...I'm Ukyo. Nice to meet you." With that she smiled and called out the door. "Ranchan! Maybe you two should talk!" I heard a clutter of footsteps as somebody came up some stairs, and then I saw the redheaded girl shyly slink into the door, looking quite abashed.  
  
"I'm really sorry you had to get involved in that before. Akane's not usually that violent, really."  
  
I couldn't understand why she was defending that guy!  
  
"What are you talking about? He punched you over a wall! how can you not be mad at him! That's abuse!" I clutched the blankets that I sat under as the girl-Ranchan, Ukyo called her-pulled a chair up to the bed and looked at me sheepishly.  
  
"Believe me, it's a helluva lot more complicated than it looks. You'd best just go home as soon as you're able to get up. It's almost 3 AM right now and your parents are probably worried sick, kid." Who was she calling kid? She couldn't have been more than a few months older than I was! No way I was letting her loose with a comment like that!  
  
"I'm fifteen, you know," I said, glaring at the girl. "I'm perfectly able to take care of myself, and my parents have no business with me right now. They're the last people I want to talk to!" I regretted it the moment I said it, and it was plain that the redhead knew.  
  
"Never say that in my presence," she said quietly. "You try having a damn father who believes that everything down to your dignity, down to your life and your manhood is worth giving up for becoming a better martial artist. You try having a mother who might force you to commit seppuku if you mess up! You've got it easier than you know, kid." This was pissing me off. This girl was making no sense and she was still calling me kid! I tried to sit up but managed only to roll over and fall out of bed, dislodging my cap and jacket.  
  
In hindsight, I wish I had a picture of the look on the girl's face at that time, for it was certainly priceless.  
  
"You're...a girl?"  
  
I looked defiantly up at her from the floor. "Yeah...so...you have a problem with that?"  
  
Despite my tone she broke into a grin. "I think I owe you an apology. I had assumed because of your high voice and the way you were trying to mask it that you were a young boy. I see. You can't be more than a few months far from my own age! I never thought to take a real good look at you." I relaxed a bit as the girl knelt over me a bit and offered me a hand, helping me back into bed. "Well hi. I'm Ranma Saotome."  
  
"The Ranma Saotome who was getting chased by Kuno this morning?" I was a little dumbfounded.   
  
"Yeah. What of it? How do you know about that?" She was suddenly on guard.   
  
"Nothing...I just thought you were a guy." Again, Ranma gave me a guarded look.  
  
"How? You weren't there this morning." I was about to open my mouth and correct him in his ungratefulness at my help, but then realized that I was the 'other' me.  
  
I shrugged noncommittally and gave myself a little hug, just making sure that I was still all there. My heart was going rabbit-pace. I did not want to be found out.  
  
Ranma didn't seem to want to give up the line of questioning, though, it seemed. "What's your name, anyway?"  
  
"Futaba Shimeru" I rolled over and faced the window, which was about when I noticed the clock that stood on the sill. "Gods....you're right. I hadn't registered before. I should call home. Is there a phone here?" Ranma nodded with satisfaction and handed me a cordless phone, which I immediately used to dial Futana's pager. A few seconds later the phone rang, and I picked it up to hear Futana's voice. "Are you done running all over Nerima now, baby-girl, or do we get to play hide n' seek for a few more hours?"  
  
"Just shut up and come get me, sis. I'm barely able to get out of this bed I'm running such a high fever. Can you get over yourself for a few minutes and give me a lift home?" I quickly queried Ranma as to the address and gave directions to Futana. In a matter of minutes, the green-haired boy from before showed up, winking slyly at Ukyo, her feminine boyfriend, and Ranma on her way upstairs, and eliciting a glare from Ranma by the way he sauntered around. Without so much as a word he slung me over his shoulder and bowed to Ranma. "I'm terribly sorry for my baby sister, miss. She's really not very good with people. Allow me to give you my phone number and offer you a date, courtesy of me, in consolation.  
  
He managed to get out of the house and me into his car while only being pelted by a few fish cakes.  
  
As I sedately buckled in and he started the car he gave me a hurt look, which I was almost to dazed to notice.   
  
"You scared us, Futaba-chan. You scared us a lot. You'd better be pretty damn careful from this point on, and hope Dad doesn't ground you for life.  
  
"Excuse me....Who are you!?" I managed to be surprised, despite my exhaustion.   
  
The guy gave me an amused look and concentrated on the road for a minute. Then, with not more than a loud 'pop,' the guy was gone and Futana was there. The previous day was finally making sense. Futana gave me a knowing look, and the closest I'd ever seen from her to a caring smile, and then concentrated on the road completely. There was no more conversation until we got all the way home. Futana got out of the car and came around, helping me out and allowing me to use her shoulder as a sort of crutch. As we entered our home, our dad was there at the door, looking into my eyes sadly.   
  
"I'm sorry about this, Futaba-chan. I thought that making this a joyous occasion would make it easier on you, as well. I was wrong. can you forgive me?" I was able only to nod dumbly, as exhaustion from the fever began to overtake me. "I'll simply trust that you learned what you needed to know tonight, and that hopefully, you've come to terms with what we are. Don't forget that Futana and I are here for you, and remember that the easiest way of living like this is by learning to enjoy it. Rest well, my son, my daughter. Tomorrow is a new day." I registered what I could of his speech, and crawled upstairs and into by bed with Futana's help. Dad was right. I had to make the best of this. But now, I had to sleep.  
  
***  
  
I awoke the next morning feeling very little of the distress and unreality that had plagued me the evening before. I knew that last night was not a dream, and I was, for some reason, happy that way. Sparing no time, I got dressed in my school uniform and ran downstairs two at a time only to encounter Futana and Dad, already eating breakfast.  
  
"'morning, Sunshine," Futana said around a mouthful of pancakes, as dad gave me an appraising glance.  
  
I nodded my greetings to Futana and returned Dad's glance. He was plotting something.  
After a hearty breakfast I began to head out the door to head for school, but was stopped by a strong hand on my shoulder.  
  
"I'm going to come with you today, Son. Principal Kuno is the same principal as when Futana was at your school, so he knows how to make your life a whole lot easier with the adjustments you need to make. I'll drive you so we can sort this all out." There seemed to be a hint of pride in his voice, but I must have had my head too far in the clouds to notice, thinking of how I could possibly cope with this and still have 'a life.'  
  
***  
  
We sat in the principal's office, which was unsurprisingly adorned with pictures of principal Kuno, in Hawaiian garb, in photos that were so obviously doctored that it was a wonder that the man wasn't blind.  
  
"I've been expecting you, Mr. Shimeru. I had figured that you'd make this visit yesterday." All trace of accent was gone from the principal's voice, giving me a glance through the madness that gave the Furinkan student body reason to fear him and see that there was truly intelligence in that tree-topped skull. That caused enough surprise in me as is, but it was nothing compared to what he told me next.  
  
"All of the secret passages are in place, Futaba-san, and all of the changing rooms between the girls' and boys' bathrooms are fully renovated for your sake. In return I ask very little of you. I want you to join Furinkan's Kenpo team. I just managed to get Ranma Saotome to offer to coach it with some...'academic coaxing,' and, having seen your wrestling skills I'd like to see if maybe Furinkan can have two martial stars."  
  
"But why me?" I barely managed to gasp out a reply. This was becoming too shocking.  
  
"Before Ranma Saotome, your older sister was the best martial artist I'd ever seen-" This was too much, so the change set in right on cue, eliciting a grin from the principal. "And we need a girl to be Ranma's counterpart for the skating and gymnastics tournaments. As much as I love teasing him about his girl form, and he still hasn't caught on about that, he's all male. You have no such inhibition."  
  
"She'll do it." My father gave me a supportive glance and put his arm around my shoulder, "but in return you extend full privileges to Futaba because of her...condition, meaning she has essentially unlimited tardies, cumulative grades between her 'two selves' and an unlimited hall pass, and you transfer her to class A."  
  
The principal nodded grimly. "In anything will prepare him for our tournaments, that will. I agree, Mr. Shimeru," the principal's sunglasses caught the sun, "and not it be bein' time for 'dis keiki to get her new school uniform and bein' introduced to her classmates."   
  
I got up sheepishly and glanced at my father, who nodded and handed me a bag. "Good luck, Futaba-chan." He gave me a pat on the shoulder and left the room after that, nodding at the principal as he left. As his back was turned I saw something that I had never seen in the principal's eyes before.  
  
Respect.  
  
***  
  
As I walked up to the student store the principal patted my bag. "You'll be wantin' to put those on, Keiki. The girls at Furinkan no bein' in the boxers all day. Noticing my blush he cackled evilly and pranced off, searching for truants to whom he could give toilet-duty.  
  
I walked up to the counter at the store, trying to act casual, and bowed deferentially to the woman working there.  
  
"Hi, miss," I said while staring at my feet, finding my tennis shoes very interesting. "I need to buy some...umm..."  
  
The woman tapped the top of my head, and, at the sight of my confused glance, nodded understandingly.  
  
"This, miss?" She held up a pair of the gym shorts that girls always wore in P.E and a shirt to match. I nodded dumbly, not wanting to give myself away.  
  
"Well...that will be five hundred yen."  
  
I shuffled my feet uncomfortably, looking at the back shelves of the store sheepishly.  
  
"Is there more, miss?"  
  
I nodded shyly.  
  
She looked behind her and grabbed two seifuku that looked as if they would be about my size, but I wasn't done yet.  
  
Half an hour, dozens of incoherent mumblings, and two-thousand yen later I had a week's worth of school clothing and was blushing so deeply it looked as if I was badly sunburnt.  
  
The last step, though, was the hardest. I sneakily tiptoed into the girls bathroom, trying to make sure that nobody was there, and got a shriek as a result.  
  
"Eeek! Pervert!" A girl ran out of the stall nearest to me brandishing a mallet and nearly brained me with it. she would have, had another not charged in between the two of us to stop her mallet in its path before it met its termination on my forehead.  
  
"Yuka! Can't you see she's terrified!?" The second one, a short-haired girl with pretty green eyes winked at me. "Hi! I'm Sayuri. Are you new here? You can't be much more than a freshman and I've never seen you around..."  
  
The long-haired one, Yuka, stashed her mallet and looked appraisingly at me. "Why are you wearing a boy's uniform, anyway?"  
  
i twiddled my thumbs and said exactly what dad had rehearsed with me in the car on the way to school. "I didn't have any other clothing and I'm so...so confused..." I rolled out a crocodile tear and both girls shrugged.   
  
"Well, we can try and help you if you like," Yuka said shyly. "What class are you in?"  
  
"Freshman Class A. I'm a new transfer student," I sniffled a bit to complete the wistful image and dragged my bag into the now-vacant stall and began to disrobe, making sure that my boxers didn't drop on the floor and into Yuka and Sayuri's sight.  
  
"Really?" Yuka's voice brightened considerably. "It happens that we're in that class too!"  
  
What luck! I managed to find two people from my new class this soon. I put the white cotton panties that were in my bag on with no trouble at all, but had to puzzle over the sports bra for a bit.  
  
"Yeah. It's just lucky the principal put us on toilet duty, I guess," Sayuri made a 'bleah' sound with distaste. I made a mental note to thank the principal next time I spoke to him in private.  
  
Finally I managed to slip the seifuku on and re-open the stall door. Both girls instantly gave me appraising looks and each, obviously coming to her own conclusions, smiled.  
  
I quickly zipped up my duffle bag and smiled cheerily at the two of them. "Well? Lead the way!"  
  
***  
  
The teacher stood up and glared at me immediately when i entered Freshman classroom A. I was probably as surprised as she was, as she couldn't have been more than twelve years old.  
  
"Well, class. This must be the new student I've been briefed on," The girl's glare turned into a smile as she visibly showed recognition of memory when Sayuri and Yuka waled in behind me. "She'll be spending some time with us this semester, and is entirely new to Furinkan. Please welcome Futaba-chan Shimeru!"  
  
There were a few bored claps and a few interested stares as I glanced around the room, most notably the one from the tall pigtailed boy in back, and, once she saw his expression, the scowling short-haired girl next to him. I noticed with relief, despite the stares, that Ukyo was in this classroom as well.  
  
Realizing that I had a pregnant silence, I attempted to reconcile.   
  
"O-ha-yo!" I managed probably the most cheerful three syllables I had ever spouted out. "I'm Futaba and I hope to have a lot of fun here at Furinkan! I'll be joining the Kenpo team so you're all sure to see me around, so don't hesitate to say 'hi!'"  
  
This turned the pigtailed boy's glare into a nervous look and only deepened the short-haired girl's scowl. The teacher quickly pointed me to an empty seat and resumed her lesson.  
  
"So, class! What have we learned from Shakespeare's Othello?"  
  
The pigtailed boy's hand shot up immediately.   
  
The teacher looked slightly afraid, but pointed at him and nodded. "Go ahead, Ranma."  
  
It was my turn to shoot a glare at him. Ranma had been the red-haired girl from last night! That couldn't be! Two people with the same name, maybe?   
  
before I had a change to complete the thought my glare was intercepted by the short-haired girl and returned tenfold, with a dose of raw hatred on the side. She had something against me and I had no idea what.  
  
Ranma, oblivious to this, answered the teacher's question. "Well, Miss Hinako! I'd say that Othello was horrified in the end of what Iago, the one who he thought to be a friend, had turned out to be!" This guy was a dunce? Wasn't he able to really read Shakespeare? I shot my hand up as quickly as I could and fairly bounced in my seat, earning an approving smile from the diminutive teacher.  
  
"I completely disagree with Ranma's analysis, Hinako-sensei. He's only looking it on the level of the outer battle. What caused Othello so much pain was not at what he found the beast Iago's true colors too be, but at what he in himself, for the beast was not in what Iago was, but what Iago created." This earned confused looks from about half the class, facefaults from another quarter, and interested glances from miss Hinako, Ranma, Ukyo, and the short-haired girl.  
  
Miss Hinako put her book down and walked towards me purposefully. As I began to slouch down in my desk she took my hand and pumped it eagerly. "Bravo, Futaba-chan. I'm sure we'll be great friends. Welcome to my class."  
  
***  
  
After my outburst at Ranma's remark the entire class seemed to be much more casual, students chatting and even a few boys passing notes to me asking if I might want to go out and two Chinese students, one familiar-looking boy with long hair and glasses, and a girl with a very....loud outfit walking in and sitting down at the back of class. It seemed that they were new transfer students, much to Ranma's chagrin. All-in-all, It was a good day until lunch.  
  
I was sitting casually, eating some pasta-bread in the small clearing in between a bush and the main building, just out of plain view of the sports field, where I always ate by myself when a tap came on my shoulder. It was the pigtailed boy, but his approach was so silent it scared me.  
  
"I didn't expect to see you here, Futaba. You've opened my eyes twice today. I just hope you can manage to keep your head above the water." He flashed me an easy grin.  
  
I gave him a silent stare and did my solid best not to return his grin, though it took effort. "Why are you treating me like a friend and what relation are you to Ranma Saotome? Is the fact that the two of you have the same given name just a coincidence?"   
  
The boy stared at me for a moment as if I had grown a third arm and then let out a hearty laugh. "I think I owe you an apology and an explanation, Futaba-chan. If you give me a moment I'll be glad to clear this up." He immediately sat in seiza right in front of me as I grew more confused by the moment, and then looked squarely into my eyes.  
  
"Now, if you would, would you please splash your cup of water right in my face."  
  
Now it was my turn to give him an odd look. "You want me to what?"  
  
"Splash it in my face!" I was growing more aggravated by the moment at this jerk, and he was asking for it, so I was only too happy to comply.  
  
The result was a moment that I will never forget until the end of my days, for within instants of the water touching him, the boy was no longer a him, as he had become the scarlet-haired girl who I had met the night before, wearing a look of extreme embarrassment.  
  
"Perhaps we should re-introduce ourselves. I'm Ranma Saotome. sorry 'bout this."  
  
***  
  
We talked for most of the rest of lunch, he explaining how he had contracted this curse on a training trip to China and me listening and nodding. I decided that he was someone with whom I could get along, but also knew I was not ready to tell anybody what I was. Luckily, the short-haired girl absolved me of the trouble of having to tell him anything at that time.  
  
"So, pop and I went to the fair to cool down, and that's where I caught the fishes using the very technique that the old hag had taught-oopmh!" A brick hit the boy squarely in the forehead, causing me to jump back a few feet and crouch into a defensive huddle. His assailant quickly made herself evident by running up and attempting to hit him over the head in the same place where the now-shattered brick had hit.  
  
"There you are! You lecher!" The girl was yelling at Ranma as if he was a wayward dog who had just eaten her homework. "Do I have to tie you to a tree to keep you from being a pervert!?" She barely paid any attention to my hand holding hers back until I gave it a shake.  
  
By that time I as so incensed that I had to keep my voice in a low growl in order to not let my anger at this girl consume me. "You'd better have a reason for having done that. He hasn't done anything to hurt you." The girl looked at me as if I was pond scum, making it all the much harder to contain my anger. "Ranma's my fiance, ditz. He shouldn't be messing around with other girls."   
  
Strangely enough, two days earlier I wouldn't have even considered hitting a girl. Only intervention by a strange boy with long hair and glasses saved her from what would have been a broken nose. As is, I heard the distinct creak of bone in his hand as he caught my punch.  
  
"Settle down, Shimeru. This is neither the time nor the place. Akane, you come with me, now." Without waiting for her consent the boy hopped off, Akane kicking and flailing under his right arm, negating to give so much as a backward glance at Ranma. When I turned back to Ranma he was staring apologetically, but not in the direction that Akane was carried off in. He was looking at me.  
  
"I'm truly sorry about that, but hitting Akane is the worst thing you could have tried to do. She's one of those people who becomes your enemy for life, or your best friend. She's never in between."  
  
I looked into Ranma's eyes, noticing how deep and beautiful they were. "And which are you, to her?"  
  
He simply shrugged.  
  
"Why are you affianced to her, Ranma?" The directness of my question caught him off guard.  
  
"I-I....our fathers arranged it and I didn't-"  
  
"Then why do you stay with her, if it's this way? Why don't you tell your father to go to hell and leave her? do you love her?"  
  
Ranma began to nod, but then halted. I confirmed my own thoughts as he shook his head, slowly but resolutely from side to side, his eyes glazing as he did. Something inside me reached out to him and I gathered him in my arms. He pulled away but looked longingly at me, nonetheless. "I tried to be what I could to her, really did, but it always ended up with us fighting and her hitting me with something blunt. I just never worked out for us. She's just so..."  
  
I hushed him and reached out to him again, my head telling me how inherently wrong what I was doing was and my heart telling my head to shut the hell up, because he needed this.  
  
"It's okay Ran....chan." I risked using the honorific that Ukyo had used the other night, hoping that it would cheer him up. "Look. Lunch's almost over so we had to go to Phys Ed now. You get to try end teach me Kenpo! Don't concentrate on her for a while, Ignore your medieval parents and enjoy yourself!"  
  
His gaze brightened enough for me to steal the spot and stuff a sweet chestnut into his mouth. "An opening!" Somehow, that managed to break all tension, and we both ended up laughing on the way to our next classes.  
  
***  
  
I honestly couldn't see how girls could stand wearing bloomers outside. They were so small! I may as well have been in my underwear, and the leers from the boys who sat on the grass at the sides of the field made it plain that they were thinking exactly the same thing.  
  
I shrugged as I ran up to meet Ranma and the rest of the Furinkan Kendo team. Ranma looked to be in a much better mood, but he had not changed his clothes. Maybe he wasn't up for practicing today.  
  
I was surprised when Ranma motioned closer to me and nodded affirmatively to the rest of the class.  
  
"Okay. Today you are all going to learn how to fall. Any of you who have already taken a competitive sport such as wrestling or football should know this, and those of you who don't know this will benefit greatly from it. Futaba-chan, let's have you come up first.  
  
I stepped up to Ranma and folded back into a mirror of the stance he was going into.   
  
"Now, Futaba, good stance, I'm going to throw you." It still caught me off guard when he did exactly what he said he was going to do, but I managed to do a half-somersault and land on my feet, barely.  
  
The class applauded as Ranma nodded to me. "Now, guys, what did you notice from Futaba's landing?"  
  
The group of students was dead silent, much to my amusement.  
  
"Okay. I'll tell you. Futaba kicked upwards, not downwards as I sent her hurtling through the air. Not only did this bring her feet, which she made the heaviest part of her body, down by doing so, but she softened the landing that she would have had if she had kicked downwards. Futaba, I would suggest tucking your arms in next time too."  
  
I nodded and Ranma continued on. At the end of the hour I was exhausted, but I had thoroughly enjoyed myself.  
  
***  
  
In the locker room, as I was getting changed, a hand tapped on my shoulder again, but this time I knew who it was. I closed my locker and gave a questioning look to Akane, who was standing sheepishly behind me.  
  
"I think I owe you an apology, Futaba-chan. I have to admit that when I saw you and Ranma there I assumed the worst, and that when you stopped me from hitting him, despite how wrong I was to do so, I was even angrier, because nobody stands up to me, much less him. Er...do you need a hand with that?" She began to laugh good-naturedly as I fumbled with the bra I was trying to get on.  
  
It was my turn to look sheepish now, but at least I was beginning to see what Ranma could have seen in Akane past the violence. "I'm sorry. I'm just not used to wearing these things."   
  
Akane gave me a critical look and laughed nervously. "I see that."  
  
I must have blushed down to my knees as Akane quickly slipped behind me and helped me attach the bra.  
  
"There," she said. "I'm sorry about earlier today. let's be friends"  
  
Akane began to run off, but, as I was getting my uniform on, I stopped her.  
  
"Akane, why are you like that with Ranma?"  
  
"Honestly...I don't particularly like him."  
  
"Then why are you so protective of him....sort of?"  
  
Akane had to stop and think about this for a moment. She was obviously a good deal more experienced at the clothing thing than I was, as she was already dressed. Finally, reluctantly, she spoke...  
  
"I guess it's because I've never had much of a good relationship with any boys, excluding one, and I'm not about to be stood up by one. Does that make any sense?"  
  
I nodded dumbly, and this seemed to satisfy her.  
  
"So, Futaba-chan Shimeru. What's your next class?"  
  
"Er..." I paused to look at my schedule. "The principal put me in home-ec."  
  
She practically bounced with delight. "Great! I'm in that class too!"  
  
I toed the ground reluctantly. "...but I can't cook..."  
  
Akane shrugged. "You're probably a good deal better than I am. Just relax and have fun."  
  
Home-ec passed quickly as I grew to like Akane more and more, though I knew, with that temper of hers, that I could never see her as more than a friend. She was right about one thing, though. I was a much better cook than she. I noticed a number of broken ovens with her name and moderately large amounts of Yen written on labels on their fronts.  
  
***  
  
By the time I got home, I was exhausted, so the last thing I expected was to meet Futana-kun at my front door, holding a pair of tight jeans and a black T-shirt.  
  
"Put these on, Futaba-chan. We're going shopping," He said with a glint in his eye. "After all, you can't wear my sports bra forever, or that other little pretty I gave you! These things are expensive and it's time for you to buy your own."  
  
Futana tossed the clothing to me, which I quickly sprinted into my room to put on and, finding the shirt to be a few sizes to small, walked back downstairs in only jeans and the bra that I put on after gym.  
  
"Um, Futana....this shirt is way too small."  
  
"Relax, sis. It's the style now. Everybody loves the midriff!" I gave her a withering look but put the shirt on.  
  
That being done, we walked out the door and got into Futana's car, heading for downtown Nerima to buy clothing.  
  
Chapter 1, End.  
  
Well...this is the rough draft of The Matchmaker, chapter 1, and I'm sure you found it to be very different from Memoirs and Zhenmaoh (which is on hold) to say the least.  
  
Please E-mail comments and Criticisms to Inu_Ranma@yahoo.com  
  
Thank you!  
  
Inu. 


	2. The Matchmaker: Chapter 2 Revision 4

The Matchmaker, Chapter 2, Revision 4.5  
  
I gradually leaned back in the passenger seat of Futana's car and stared at the streetlights passing above the windshield. Was this all real? It seemed like something that could not be happening.  
  
But here I was, a sixteen year old girl, and there Futana was, a twenty-one year old guy. Things were so backwards. I leaned towards Futana and looked at him. "So how do you deal with it?"   
  
He was concentrating heavily on driving but gave me a glance. "Do what, sis?"  
  
"How do you cope? How do you keep it from changing you?"  
  
Futana pulled the car over and unbuckled. "Get out." I sat there, bemused, until finally Futana banged gently on my window. "Get out, sis. Now. I have to show you something."  
  
I unbuckled and opened my door, which turned out to be facing an alleyway. Before I could begin to wonder what was there, Futana had me out of the car and against the wall. "You want to know how I cope, baby sister? You want to know how I get through the day!? This is how!" He furiously pulled off his jacket and unbuttoned his shirt. "You know. I used to genuinely like boys. I used to think about them nonstop, day and night. Then I turned thirteen, and BAM! Suddenly, when other girls were having their first periods I was turning into a boy once or twice a day! I was completely unable to look at a guy without turning into one myself. If there were any justice in this world I would have breasts and a boyfriend right now, but instead I have a dick and thirty girlfriends."  
  
On a whim, I leaned onto my 'sister' and gave 'him' a hug, my emotions getting the better of me.  
  
Futana's voice, low and comforting, came to me. "There are advantages, at least. We're far stronger than most normal people will ever get to be and more agile as well. Many of our ancestors have been some of the greatest martial artists, and a few of the greatest drag queens, of all time."  
  
I tightened my hug around Futana until, finally, things began to feel distinctly odd. Annoyed at his breaking of the moment, I immediately brought my foot down, hard, on his toes.  
  
"What?" He sounded so indignant for someone who had just got caught feeling his little sister up. "I was getting bored and depressed! I just needed something to cheer me up!"  
  
"Feh." I shrugged noncommittally and got into the car, ignoring Futana entirely until he returned to the driver's seat and we began moving towards the Department Store once again.  
  
***  
  
I could hardly believe my eyes as we approached the Women's section of the large department store that Futana had chosen. They had more bras and panties than the Men's section had articles of clothing in general. A few clerks chuckled knowingly as Futana grabbed a few of the more colorful pairs and led me to a dressing room. It genuinely surprised me when Futana stopped in front of the last dressing room in the row, handed me a pair, and then motioned me into the little cubicle.  
  
"What!? You don't expect me to wear them, do you?" He grinned and pulled the door to the dressing room shut as I slowly disrobed and tried to put the bra on.  
  
"Er... Futana"  
  
The smile in his voice was evident. "Yes, Sister dear?"  
  
"How do I put this on?"  
  
Futana opened the door after a short pause, got in behind me, now in female form, and closed the door.  
  
"Okay, Futaba-chan," she said, putting her hands on top of mine, "first you want to make sure both of your breasts are in the cups," she demonstrated with my hands while looking over my shoulder. "Next, you want to make sure that the shoulder straps are snug." This was odd... something was wrong.  
  
"Eh, Futana?"  
  
"Yea, baby?" Futana slid her hand down my front, from whence I promptly removed it which as much force as possible.  
  
"Don't call me that!" Of all the times... "Do you smell something burning?"  
  
"Of course not, Futaba. Why would there be something...? Oh wait, I do smell that!"  
  
As if on cue, the fire alarms went off.  
  
Futana panicked. "Geez! Futaba-chan, let's get outta here!"  
  
It was my turn to panic. "But what about my-"  
  
"Worry about your clothes later! This just makes it more fun!" He hoisted me up on his shoulder kicked the dressing-room door open, and began to run towards the exit.  
  
I turned halfway around to see a large metal box going on a collision course with my head.  
  
***  
  
When I came to I was freezing cold and heard the sound of a grown man in tears.   
  
"That's it. We're never going shopping again! First Akane causes an explosion while testing a microwave oven," I sat up to see a mustachioed man yelling at three girls, who were all sitting down and looking forlorn. "Then Nabiki refuses to leave until she can get a deal on a new air-conditioner for the house, putting herself and the store's clerk in danger," The girl to Akane's left seemed to be chagrined, until I realized that her attention was not on the man, but on the head-sized dent in the metal box that sat at her feet. "And then Kasumi distracts Ranma as he's carrying said air-conditioner outside and he manages to knock Kahoru Iroka's daughter unconscious!"  
  
I almost passed out again from the sheer ridiculousness of it. Why would Kahoru Iroka's daughter be here, anyway?  
  
A hand tapped me on the shoulder and then placed a bathrobe over my mostly-bare body. "Are you awake, honey?" a velvety voice purred.  
  
I nodded, not daring to turn around for fear that it was just Futana trying to mess with me. The hand quickly withdrew and the voice rose. "Good evening everybody! Now wasn't that a scare?"  
  
A few nervous chuckles came from the crowds of people that had gathered.  
  
"We're all just lucky the fire department made it on time now, aren't we? Let's all thank our firefighters" During the short round of applause that followed, I finally managed to get up to see who was putting on such a show. It was the most beautiful woman that I'd ever seen; She also looked strikingly familiar, for some reason.  
  
Futana walked up to the woman and smiled cheerily in boy form. "Hi, Mom! The Tendos seem okay but they're still awful sorry about hitting Futaba over the head with that air-conditioner."  
  
"Um... Futana?" I tugged on my older brother's shirtsleeve.  
  
The woman hushed the two of us and then stepped up to a makeshift pedestal that must have been erected for that purpose.  
  
"Hello again, everybody. For those of you who don't know me I'm Kahoru Iroka," she flashed a grin as all of the audience gasped in awe, "You can check out my new movie, Action Babe 6, playing at the Nerima Cinema right now." A few people left the crowd in search of the theater as the woman flashed a bit of leg. "Anyway. I'd like to introduce to you two people who are very special to me: my son Futana-kun, and my daughter, Futaba-chan." I could hardly believe my ears, and was quite ready to run away, but Futana caught my arm and gave me a glance that said I would not want to miss this. "It's my fondest hope that you'll be seeing as much of them as you do of me, minus those dirty pictures in the tabloids. I'd also like to thank the Tendos for being so helpful." there was a slight applause and a surprised look from the mustachioed man. "And we'll see you all later."  
  
Kahoru Iroka bowed and led Futana and me into a trailer that was waiting near the firetrucks.   
  
The minute we were in the trailer, she held her breath for a moment, and then distinctly changed in figure, becoming my father. "Well, that could have come at a better time, now, couldn't it?" I looked at the clock on the wall and noticed that it had been about three hours since Futana and I left for the store. Dad picked a laptop off of a desk in the rear end of the trailer. "You have fan mail, Futaba-chan."  
  
"Eh?" I was still a bit dazed, to say the least.  
  
"Get with the program, Futaba," Futana leaned over my shoulder as I looked at the `Futaba' folder of the `Kahoru Iroka' inbox, which contained three-hundred and fifty messages." You just got picked up on national news in front of a burning building in nothing but panties and a bra! A star is born!" I was saved by a knock on the trailer door.  
  
It was Ranma, in girl form. "Hi, Futaba. The Tendos were wondering if, since they gave you a concussion and all, you'd like to go over to their place and...." Ranma suddenly paused and looked around. "Hey! Where'd your mom go?"  
  
"She already left," I said quickly, "Can I go to dinner at Ranma's, Dad?" I began to run out of the trailer door before waiting for an answer.  
  
"Er, Futaba?" Futana grabbed my shoulder. "Aren't you forgetting something?"  
  
"What, Futana?"  
  
She pointed to my clothing, which was not much.  
  
***  
  
A pair of white jeans and a black T-shirt later I was walking on a sidewalk as Ranma, now male, walked along a fence above me.  
  
"How do you do that?"  
  
I marveled at his perfect balance as he hopped off the fence and landed smoothly on one foot, smiling mischievously at me. "Want me to show you?"  
  
Before I could protest I was lifted up by the waist and placed gently on top of the fence.  
  
"Now walk forward." Ranma's voice in my ear was smooth and encouraging as I put one foot in front of the other, teetering dangerously in between falling on hard cement that lay to my left and getting dunked in the aqueduct that loomed to my right. Ranma's hands felt like the only thing keeping me aloft, then he let go, and I was free.  
  
"Now run!" He laughed joyously as I began to sprint along the fence, falling almost immediately on the side of the fence.  
  
I winced as the concrete came speedily closer to my head, promising unconsciousness, or worse, but marvelled to find that the surface that caught me was not the rock-hard ground, but a pair of strong, gentle arms.  
  
"Perhaps you should practice for a while, first." Ranma smiled at me and placed me on my feet.  
  
***  
  
We arrived at the Tendo Dojo early, and Ranma immediately ushered me to their rather luxurious furo.  
  
"You're sweating like crazy, Futaba-chan," he said as he handed me a towel rather forcefully. "I'm sure you'll have an easier time when you get practice, but for now you could do with a hot soak."  
  
With little more protesting I pushed Ranma out of the bathroom, disrobed, gave myself a quick scrub-down, and sank into the bath with a sigh of relief. I hadn't had such a chance to relax since this entire mess started!  
  
pop!  
  
It didn't take me long to find out what had happened. I had changed back. At a loss for what to do, I tried to think of something, anything exciting, and only managed to make myself blush.  
  
I muttered a silent expletive and wrapped a towel about my waist, not want to appear uncovered.   
  
Having no other alternative, I called out for Ranma.  
  
As I heard his approach, I opened the furo door and took a step forward so see Ranma-chan standing right in front of me, completely nude.  
  
At first I saw confusion in her eyes, rightfully enough, but then, as I got a good look at her my own transformation set in, and he stood in front of a half-nude Futaba-chan.  
  
"I see." If the scene had not been more tense, I would have laughed at her inadvertant pun. She carefully closed the door. "Come into the dojo when you're dressed. I'll leave a pair of boxers here for you.  
  
She seemed to be taking things rather well, so I hurriedly got dressed and rushed into the dojo to find Ranma sitting there, now male, silently looking at a wall.  
  
"When were you planning on telling me, Futaba?" He didn't move at all, the only sign that he was not a statue was the slight movement of his mouth and the clenching of his fists.  
  
"I'm sorry, Ranma... I-" in a flash Ranma's fist was mere inches from my nose. Barely managing to keep my cool, I fell to the floor.  
  
"Don't make excuses. I almost trusted you. Almost. Do you enjoy messing with other peoples' minds so? Do you get high on how much you can hurt someone? It figures that you were the first girl that I was ever comfortable with. You're a guy. Naturally. Why can't one damn thing make sense here!?" Ranma slowly withdrew his still-tense fist and went back to sitting in the middle of the dojo, eyes closed.  
  
"You can go after we eat. I'm not going to hurt you. Don't bother letting me know when you leave. Kasumi will probably have dinner ready in a few minutes."  
  
I heaved a sigh and walked out of the dojo, slinking past Akane as she rushed past me towards Ranma.  
  
"What the hell are you thinking, you dummy!?" The yell startled me as I walked from the dojo, having been mostly lost in my own thoughts up until that point.  
  
Some muffled comments failed to make it to my ears.   
  
"So what, Ranma? I heard what you two were saying! Futaba's the first person with a curse that you've met who's not trying consistently to kill or marry you and you blow her off because she doesn't tell you about it on the first day you meet her? Have you no idea what you're doing?" There was the sound of a splash of water. "Stay that way, for all I care."  
  
"Get lost, you tomboy!" Ranma's angered voice, now feminine, shocked me in its vehemence. "I trusted her! I thought she was my friend, and yet she don't tell me nuthin! You try having that happen to you!"  
  
"I did, Ranma." Akane's voice, now soft and pained, pierced the sound of the bustle around the house as it all died off in anticipation, waiting for Ranma's next move. "The day we met, do you remember that? You had so many chances to tell me, but no. You had to wait until I was suitably nude to appear in front of me. Do you remember that?"  
  
There was no longer any noticeable sound in the house as Akane's angered footsteps left the vicinity of the Dojo, running past me and leaving the front gate to slam violently as she left the Tendo grounds.  
  
I made my way over to the Koi pond and sat on the boulder that nestled near it as if for that purpose.  
  
I heard the shuffling of Ranma getting up leaving the Dojo, barely breathing in my apprehension. Gradually she appeared in the doorway leading out from the tea room and sat down next to me.  
  
"So... tell me how you fell in the spring." Ranma didn't look directly into my eyes, but stared at the pond that lay in front of us and clenched her fists over and over again, seeming to take solace in the wiry muscles that adorned her feminine knuckles.  
  
"It's not like that for me, Ranma." I didn't have to fight to get the control of my voice. I didn't have to hold back tears. I just had to speak. It was so odd that I never had to think about how easy it was to speak before. "I'm not just a guy or a girl. I'm not cursed. As far as I can tell, Futaba-chan and Futaba-kun are parts of a whole of me. But they're also the same person. I am the girl you met yesterday, and I am the guy you see now. There is no cure for me because I'm naturally this way."  
  
Ranma kept her gaze away still. "But why didn't you tell me? Of all people, I would be the most likely to understand, don'cha think?"  
  
"Would you, Ranma? I don't change with water, but emotional excitement. I don't have the possibility of ever being with a woman! Have you ever thought about that? Have you? Did you ever think of what it would be like to utterly lose everything that society tells you makes you a man?" I drew my hand back for a slap, my vehemence overtaking me.  
  
Finally, she looked into my eyes. "Yes. Yes I have. Please, Futaba. Complete the motion?"  
  
"Huh?" His sudden emotion, startling me, caused me to allow my arm to drop.  
  
"Hit me. Right in the face. I've been an idiot. A jerk. Whatever Akane wants to call it, I've been that. I didn't think I'd ever have the possibility of becoming a girl forever, but I did fear it. It just hurt me, because you were so different from the other girls-"  
  
"I still am, to say the least." Despite myself, I let out a laugh.  
  
Ranma smiled weakly, and then sniffed, his smile growing. "It smells like Kasumi's almost done cooking dinner. You'll want to try this."  
  
We made our way back inside to find that Akane had already returned and that she and the Tendos already sitting at the table. They were looking at us expectantly over what could only be described as a feast.  
  
Ranma and I sat down quietly, side-by-side, and glanced at the others around the table. Finally, Akane shrugged noncommittally and began to eat, breaking the tension.  
  
***  
  
After dinner Ranma and I sat out on the roof and looked at the stars, chatting idly about the excitement of the day and comparing notes on curses and the like.  
  
I sat, wondering and asking, enjoying the temporary stability of my male form as I searched the sky for some hint of the future.  
  
"I guess I've been having my own identity crisis, since I got this curse." Ranma, to my right, flexed his hands and looked at them, seeming to find something truly interesting about them. "When I came to the top of that pool, it was as if I was dying, when I guess I was sorta being born. It changed everything."  
  
"At least you had some warning. One minute I was a guy, and the next I was a girl. No springs, no training. Just poof. I look at some pictures, I pass out, and I wake up female."  
  
The pause as the light that came From Akane's window and illuminated the Tendo yard died down, leaving only the stars to pierce the darkness  
  
After a while Ranma spoke. "So... what does it feel like?"  
  
I leaned onto my side and looked at him. "Honestly, I have no idea. For a while I was sure I was female. That was the night I met you. But whenever I'm calm and in guy form I'm sure of being a guy. I don't quite know all of the provisoes of this form-changing yet, but I'm certain that I will have to do some major sorting of my identity."  
  
"You see, I never had that," Ranma's voice had an edge in it. "I've always been a guy. No matter what, I was always Ranma Saotome. I never liked guys, was never even remotely attracted to them, and never will be. The only difference for me is being a little more physically sensitive and a little less strong. All the same, everything seems different anyway."  
  
I sighed with intentional gravity and finally let loose what had been on my mind.  
  
"Why?" Perhaps I could have phrased the question better.  
  
Ranma simply stared at me.  
  
"Why do you two prolong this, when you two always hold each other at arm's length anyway?"  
  
Ranma got up and slipped in through his bedroom window. "Call your parents if you want to stay here tonight," the quiet mumble came. The conversation was over.  
  
***  
  
I walked alone, towards Furinkan, the amber dawn tickling my eyes as I casually approached the front door nearly a half-hour early only to find Ranma waiting there for me, fury in his eyes.  
  
"Do you really want to know, Futaba-chan?" He began to walk purposefully towards me, lust in his eyes, and I likewise began to back off, afraid of what would come of this.  
  
"I'm a guy right now, Ranma." That didn't last, as my nervousness brought on my conversion to female-side.  
  
"Do you want to know why I can't love Akane, Futaba-chan?" Ranma drew me close and enfolded me in an iron grip, kissing me furiously.  
  
I attempted to pull away from his mouth. "Ranma! You're hurting me!"  
  
Ranma obliged and loosened his grip as he tipped me over and kissed me gently.  
  
I finally reciprocated, feeling oddly comforted, as if I could let go with him, even as he took my shirt off I still leaned on him, enjoying the security.  
  
***  
  
I awoke from the dream on the couch in the Tendo tea room where I had stripped down and slept the night before. After sitting up slowly and wiping the sweat from my eyes, I felt a bit of a twisting ache across my hips as well as pain in my back and head, and found that Kasumi was standing there looking at me quizzically.  
  
"Are you okay, Futaba-chan?" The worry in her voice was apparent.  
  
I got up and rubbed the back of my head.  
  
"I'm fine. Just a bit of a stomach ache. Why?"  
  
She pointed to the center couch cushion, where there was a small spot of blood.  
  
"That's odd. I don't remember having a bloody nose...."  
  
"That's not where your nose would have been, Futaba-chan. Come with me." Kasumi seemed to be holding back laughter, and then when I got where she was leading me I found out why.  
  
She placed a box in my hand. "These are pads. I'm assuming that you wouldn't be entirely comfortable with tampons so you can use them for now. We had this in case Ranma's first period ever came. That never happened and I don't think it will, so you can have these."  
  
I was having a hard time calming down and getting back into male form....  
  
"You're kidding, right? Someone spilled red dye on the couch or something. Right!? Hey! Why were you standing over me, anyway?" I was getting close to hysterics at this point.  
  
She looked sheepish. "You were making very weird noises in your sleep. I couldn't even tell whether it was a good dream or a bad dream...."  
  
It was my turn to look sheepish. "I think it was a good dream. I'm still sorting it out."  
  
I quickly brushed Kasumi out of the bathroom so I could place the pad into the panties I had worn to the Tendo home, put them on, and then came out and asked Akane where a phone might be.  
  
"There's one near the kitchen. Feel free to use it."  
  
I sprinted downstairs and dialed my house as quickly as I could.  
  
"Ugh?" The fact that the answer was utterly inarticulate pegged the person on the other end as Futana.  
  
"Futana! I was bleeding when I got up this morning and Kasumi said I was having my period. My insides hurt and I feel really strange. What's going on?" I was almost in tears by the time I took a breath.  
  
There was simply a sigh on the other end. "Just a minute. I'm getting dad."  
  
"Son? I want you to calm down. You're going to be stuck as a female for the next couple days or so, until your period is over. It happens to all of us. There are other side affects but I'm sure you'll find those out." The click on the other end of the line told me that Father had hung up as I sunk to the floor, confused and despaired. As if this wasn't bad enough, it was getting pretty hot, too.  
  
"P-p-p-pretty Lady!"  
  
Something was suddenly clamping onto my chest in what at the time felt like the most uncomfortable way that was possible, this lasted for about ten seconds of me screaming and trying to pry it off and for two more seconds as Ranma appeared, pummeled the thing as it was still attached to me, and launched it into lower earth orbit.  
  
I crumpled to the floor and cried my eyes out, not caring about whatever male dignity that I lost in front of Ranma, not that it mattered. He was staring at me blankly, drooling slightly and walking towards me.  
  
I was thanking all of the gods when the pot came flying and hit him in the head.  
  
"What was that...?" I managed to croak out a few words when Akane entered the room, following her well-aimed pot.  
  
"The first one was Happosai. You'll get used to him. I'd suggest using mallets, as they're quite effective. The second one was Ranma, but I've never seen him act that way before. He's not usually quite that bad."  
  
"What was he doing?"  
  
"Well. From experience with the boys at school, I'd say he was lusting after you." Akane quirked an uneasy smile. "Great way to start the morning, isn't it?"  
  
I made my best effort to smile too as Akane's sisters and their father came into the kitchen.  
  
"What was all that racket about?" The Tendo patriarch scanned the room until his eyes lay upon me, at which point he began to walk towards me with arms outstretched. "Pretty lady!"  
  
Kasumi quickly apologized and dragged Soun Tendo out of the kitchen, struggling the entire way.  
  
"Does this happen to you often, Futaba-chan?" Akane's elder sister, Nabiki, looked at me quizzically.  
  
I shook my head confusedly. "I don't know! I mean-No! I've only had three days experience at this!"  
  
Nabiki made a little noise and ran to get her bag. "Well, I guess we'd better head to school!" Akane nodded at me and the three of us quickly left the Tendo residence in the direction of Furinkan, skipping breakfast in our haste to vacate the Tendo home and the odd occurances of the early morning.  
  
***  
  
As we approached Furinkan, a mob of boys began to coalesce, Kuno at the head. Akane sighed and approached Kuno.  
  
"What are you guys doing? I thought we already agreed that you were going to stop attacking me!"  
  
Kuno gave Akane a loving smile and then turned to me.  
  
"Alas, my sweet Akane Tendo. A Lass indeed. We are simply surveying the new wondrous goddess of Furinkan, the green-haired Aphrodite that stands before me. Rest assured I have not given you up. No, indeed! I have simply found another love. Such is the tortuous life of Tatewaki Ku-" We were spared the rest of Kuno's babble by a random pineapple hitting him in the back of the head and the late bell ringing. For some reason, though, none of the boys moved.  
  
Akane stared at me, and then back at the boys. "That's odd. They've never acted this way. They usually left me alone if there were any of them left standing when class started.  
  
"I apologize, Akane Tendo, for we have found one whose beauty is even more entrancing then your own, and we intend to fight her, and fight for her, with all of our hearts." The dim-witted swordsman charged at me and roared a battle cry.  
  
The Blue Thunder became more of a boneless puddle when I gave him a piledriver, but that's when more of the boys decided to attack.  
  
Five minutes later I was standing over the pile of boys and brushing my hands off, searching for my bag which I seemed to have dropped.  
  
"Are you looking for this, Miss?" A barely-conscious male voice came from beside me, sounding rather nervous.  
  
I turned to see a muscular man of about Ranma's age in a yellow shirt and black pants trying to look away from me and holding my bag towards me as if it were a rotten tuna with one hand, while clamping his nose with the other.  
  
"Yes. Thank you." I took the bag from him and bowed as politely as I could.  
  
"You're welcome!" The boy sprinted in the opposite direction and somehow ended up running into the main school building, which was behind me, and knocking himself unconscious.  
  
I shrugged and sprinted up to my classroom and barged through the doorway only to find that the classroom was entirely female, including Ranma-chan.  
  
"Why are you late, Miss Shimeru?" Hinako-sensei gave me as stern a look as she could manage.  
  
I stammered out a response as quickly as I could. "The boys out front attacked me, and I-"  
  
"Those delinquents!" Hinako looked very angry. "How dare they attack a defenseless girl! I'm going to go teach them a-"  
  
"That's okay, Sensei." I interrupted her tirade as I stared pointedly at the floor, hoping that my blush would not show. "I took care of them."  
  
"You what?" The diminutive teacher stared at me unbelievingly.  
  
Ranma-chan rose her hand and pointed outside, where the pile of unconscious boys was reaching all the way up to our third-story window.  
  
I apologized hastily. "I'm very sorry, Sensei, but they made me so mad! I felt like I just wanted to be alone and all they wanted to do was fight me!"  
  
Hinako suddenly nodded sympathetically and directed me to sit down. I promptly took my seat and wrote a note to Ranma.  
  
What was with you this morning? Why were you acting so perverted?   
-Futaba  
  
A few minutes later a note came to me, but when I tried to read it, I could not decipher the handwriting.  
  
Luckily, a few minutes after that, as Hinako was still trying to decide what to do with the class I received another note.  
  
Futaba,  
Ranma says he didn't know what came over him.  
-Akane  
  
Soon after that came an announcement over the school's PA system.  
  
"Attention all da keikis an Wahines! Dis is yo principal! Class today is gonna be bein cancelled cause there be only one a da boys in class today. Have a nice trip home!"  
  
Akane and Ranma got up with one synchronized motion and cheered loudly.  
  
As I sat there dazed, thanking my lucky stars that I wouldn't have to deal with the boys any more, Ranma-chan tugged on my arm.  
  
"Hey, Futaba? Wanna go to Ucchan's with Akane n' me? We're gonna hang out for a bit."  
  
I wanted to go with her so much, but I couldn't, I was simply too exhausted.  
  
"I'm going home. I'm tired." I avoided Ranma's eyes and slunk out of the classroom, leaving my newfound friends dumfounded in my wake.  
  
***  
  
"Are you sure?" Futana sat at the foot of my bed, a few minutes later, and looked into my eyes sympathetically.  
  
I sighed and nodded plaintively.  
  
"I can't help it, Futana. What am I going to do?"  
  
Futana grinned. "First of all, I'd suggest avoiding him and every other guy during your period. I'm really sorry I didn't tell you about that, by the way. I don't get periods, you see. Only the men do."  
  
I gave the now cackling Futana the strongest glare I could manage which - because of my state of exhaustion - was quite pitiful. "That doesn't explain why Dad didn't tell me on the phone. He would have known about the `little problem' of ejecting hundreds of times the amount of pheromones during our period."  
  
The only allowance Futana gave me was an innocent shrug. "Take that up with him when he gets home, Futaba. Either way, you've got another day or so of this, so be ready." She strutted out of the room and left me to the slight delirium that followed as I tried to reconcile myself to the pain-but-not-entirely that made me feel so alien.  
  
Gradually I realized that, though I had wished to do so, sitting there would do me no good. I slung a coat over my shoulders and sped down the stairs and out of my house, hunting down that spot near the river where I had carried Ranma the other day.  
  
As I approached the bridge, a tired voice hailed me.  
  
"Since you're here, I think we should talk."  
  
Assuming it was Ranma, I nodded to myself and sat outside of the bridge, facing the eddies of the river as they played among the rocks, trying to find their way out to the ocean.  
  
"You know. When I first found that you had something like the Nyannichuan curse I dearly wanted to hate you. I wanted to hit you over the head with the the tea-room table." The laughter that reached me was bitter, pained. "I was afraid of you. I was afraid of how you'd turn out."  
  
I turned around ducked under the bridge to find something unexpected. Akane.  
  
"I was afraid, too, Akane." I tried to keep my voice level and not show how surprised I was. "I was afraid for you and Ranma. I was afraid that you two were going to leave each other forever and that it was going to be my fault, and yet the very next day you two are back to normal, getting along fairly well and not throwing anything at each other that can do permanent damage." Akane half-turned to look into my eyes, and I saw that she had been crying.  
  
"I wanted to hurt you, and then I heard what Ranma was doing, and realized...." She let out a slight sniffle and turned away once more.  
  
"Realized what?" I sat down and slid in closer to Akane.  
  
"I've been growing to love Ranma, but, at the same time, I've been growing to hate him." She picked up a small pebble and skipped it a few paces into the river, avoiding my gaze. "He can be so strong, so caring to me. He's so wonderful when he's like that. When everything seems that it's getting too good to be true, though, he lets his pride get the better of everything and ruins it all."  
  
I stared at my knees and tossed a pebble in myself, but failed to skip it very far. "When I first met Ranma, I didn't know what to think. She was so beautiful, even drenched by the rain. At that time you had just tossed her through a wall, which also made me feel a bit sorry for her." Akane drew her knees closer in and buried her face in them. I mentally kicked myself and changed the subject. "Anyway, even when I found out that he was a, well, a he, he was still supportive, like we had been friends for years."  
  
"He always made fun of how tomboyish I was," Akane let her knees go and leaned back against the underside of the bridge. "I could never tell whether he was serious about it or not, but it always made me so angry."  
  
I made an attempt to break the ice with an innocent question. "You could always try to exaggerate yourself in the opposite direction, for him?"  
  
Akane shrugged. "I don't know. I've tried everything, it seems. I've cooked, cleaned, and sewed but everything seems to come out wrong."  
  
"I hate to sound blunt, but are you any good at any of that?"  
  
Akane shot me an accusing look, but immediately looked back towards the river and laughed a bit. "Not really."  
  
I patted Akane on the back and carefully stood up, feeling much better. "Keep trying, Akane. There is good in both of you. I know you can get back together." I quickly scuttled out from under the bridge and made my way back home, high hopes in my head for the next day.  
  
***  
  
Ranma 1/2 is the property of Rumiko Takahashi and Viz. Futaba-Kun Change is the property of Studio Ironcat and Hiroshi Aro.  
All other characters and events are mine ^_^  
lease send C&C!  
From Inu_Ranma. (Inu_Ranma@yahoo.com) 


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